Entries in the 'Tips & Ideas' Category

I’ve just received the periodic rewards catalog for my credit card spending. Each time I use my credit card, I’m rewarded with bonus points which I can then redeem against a range of items from cooking utensils to acne treatments to holiday packages.

To be quite honest, I rarely redeem my points simply because I either forget or am too lazy. Lately the kids and I are cutting back on eating out. But of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t want to, we just try to resist the temptation.

My kitchen is closed on weekends so we still have the weekend meals to take care of. Now I’m flipping through my redemption catalog and I’m seeing meal vouchers for some of our favorite restaurants. Yay! You know what I’m going to do with my bonus points!

You know why I love the baguette? There are countless ways you can eat them and they taste good no matter how you make them. If you’re rushed for time, like I often am, even the simplest baguette toast toppings – with garlic butter spread, kaya (coconut jam) spread, or any kind of canned tuna or salmon spread – will make a great meal.

Or if I happen to have bacon sitting around in the fridge, then bacon and cheese baguette it is! I like to make these when the kids have their friends over because let’s face it, nobody can say no to crispy, sizzling bacon!

If I have time for something a little fancier, I will make pizza baguette, another hot favorite with the kids and their friends.

Whenever I’m just plain tired or lazy to figure out what to cook, the baguette is my savior. It’s not like I have to cram my day into some stuffy classroom furniture to learn these recipes, I just make them up as I go along and surprise myself and my kids with the wierdest, tastiest baguette ideas.

Woo-hoo, I’m listed, or rather Foodarrific is listed on RNCentral.com’s Top 100 Healthy Mom Blogs. I am truly honored, of course, to be picked from all of the thousands of great food blogs out there.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll notice I’m always complaining about the high sodium, sugar and grease content of food I eat outside. In my own kitchen, I’m notorious for reducing the salt, sugar and fat to the point of sometimes leaving them out altogether.

And you should too especially if you’re cooking for your kids. Start by tweaking your existing recipes little by little, and consider using healthier substitutes wherever you can. Pretty soon, your tastebuds will be conditioned to accept lower sodium, sugar and fat levels.

My aunt who brought me that delicious jackfruit also gave me this pomelo from her trip to Penang. I placed this pomelo, or Chinese grapefruit, on my altar as an offering to the Buddha and conveniently left it there too long.

I have this silly habit of forgetting to eat stuff, if you can believe that! As a result, the pomelo is kinda over-ripe. But never mind, it’s even sweeter and juicier like this.

It’s quite an art peeling open a pomelo. Although it’s technically a citrus fruit, you can’t peel it like an orange because well, it’s the size of a small watermelon.

You need a sharp pointed knife to first cut right across the top of the pomelo about 1 inch down so it opens up like a cap.

To make it easier to peel the rest of the rind off, I have to divide it up into sections. I use the tip of the knife to make 5 or 6 shallow lines from the cut-off top all the way down to about 1 inch from the bottom.

Then from the top of each section, I dig my fingers in and peel downards. Repeat till all the sections are done. The whole thing will look like a flower with petals. Pretty, huh?

That done, I can dislodge the whole fruit from the rind and gently slice it open to reveal the segments. It’s just like an orange inside, so I just segment and pop into a Tupperware for easy storage.

I tend to refrigerate any leftovers because our climate here is so hot. I like it better chilled too. I don’t get to eat pomelos often, only around Chinese New Year because it’s believed to bring prosperity and good fortune.

I could use some of that, sure. So if someone brings me back one from up north (where they’re grown), I’ll gladly take it 😆 .

This week’s FFOF has put me in a holiday mood. I’ve had a very busy week so it’s good that I even get to dream of a holiday. Okay, let’s get going with this week’s questions.

#1. If you could travel anywhere to have a meal, where would you want to go and what would you want to eat.
Dimsum breakfast in Hong Kong, a pasta lunch in Tuscany, Italy and a scrumptuous lobster dinner in Sydney, Australia. Am I coming across as being just a little greedy here 😆 ?

#2. When you go away do you make your own meals or eat out?
We eat out. Most hotels don’t have cooking facilities. At any rate, vacation time is precious and I wouldn’t want to waste it slaving in the kitchen.

Besides when I go to a new place/country, I want to try all the different types of local food so I’m just rearing to go, go, go! Sometimes I will even grab some food (usually finger food or street fare) back to the hotel to eat.

#3. While traveling if you have to stop for a meal do you go in or do you go through the drive thru and eat in the car?
It really depends on the place we’re passing through. If it looks dirty or crowded, we’ll just drive on. I usually have snacks and sandwiches in the car so we really don’t have to stop till we get to a decent restaurant.

#4. Share a recipe or food related tip for people making a long trip by car.
We pack a cooler with ice cubes, canned drinks, bottled water and cut-up fruits. I also like to bring along snacks and breads and pack a few sandwiches as well. I have a can in my car for sweets (candy) and sour preserves.

It’s a great idea to also have a few empty plastic bags which can come in real handy as garbage bags for the stuff you’ll be eating in the car, and a bottle of water for washing hands. Did I leave out anything 😆 ?